Will Socks Ever Be Happy Indoors?

[banana queen]

Socks is a 6 year old spayed female cat.

She is used to having outdoor access-we found her as a stray at 7 months and she was an outdoor cat I fed and played with for another six months (I lived with my mum, and she didn't want a cat). Since then she has been an indoor/outdoor cat, who prefers the outdoors.

I have three other cats. They are three years old and indoor only. I got them as kittens, did originally start letting them out once they were almost full grown, spayed, vaccinated and chipped, but they never really took to it and rarely were out more than 10 minutes, and eventually just stopped going out and ended up indoors.

They are happy indoor cats who don't complain, and they have plenty of toys and places to sleep...all the things a cat could want.

Socks is used to being outside though, but lately this is becoming a problem-she likes being outside too much, but if I let her out in the afternoon, she doesn't come back until after dark and hasn't been coming when called like she used to, but I don't like her being out after dark and when I am calling her for a long time I worry about disturbing the neighbours. Even if she knows that when I call her in, I feed her, she doesn't care...and then I have the indoor cats whining at me for food until she decides to return.

For the past few weeks, I have been letting her out once after breakfast, she will go do her thing for a few hours and when she comes in, she stays in, although this hasn't stopped her standing on the windowsill and meowing to be let out in the afternoon. I have been at home more for the last few weeks, but now my work hours have changed and I have not been at home to let her out in the morning (I have never allowed her out when I am not in), so this is only possible at weekends. Maybe she needs to go full cold turkey and be an indoor cat.

She is already annoyed by not having full outdoor access and very persistently meows at the window, and her other annoying habit of flinging herself at doors and flipping the handle up and down, but then running off and standing by the window or front door when the door is opened to see if she wants to come in.

How do I get Socks to get used to being indoors?

 

[sargon]

I once trained an outdoor cat to be satisfied indoors via trickery. I only would let her out in terrible weather ( rain, 100+ degrees, snow, etc.)

After a while she accepted the reality that outside was just a horrible place.

She was later let out in good weather (not by me), and it was all undone so do be aware of that.

 

[rubysmama]

Here's a TCS article on The Five Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside that might have some tips for you.

Also, How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats)

 

[ArtNJ]

If your neighborhood is safe for an indoor/outdoor, why is it bad the cat is out when it is dark? Cats see very well in the dark, and neither foxes nor coyotes are wholly nocturnal.

 

[basscat]

If your neighborhood is safe for an indoor/outdoor, why is it bad the cat is out when it is dark? Cats see very well in the dark, and neither foxes nor coyotes are wholly nocturnal.

Buddy The Brave did his darndest to use up 8 of his 9 lives outside.
1) Dogs got ahold of the litter and killed them and the momma cat. They Threw Buddy off of an elevated platform and into a pile of lumber and couldn't get to him again.
2) He ran straight into a 4" diameter drain pipe. I swear he was 5" diameter and assumed him gone for good. He somehow backed out of it.
3) He was handsized when he went 75ft up his 1st tree. Too far for anyone to get to him. Screamed for two hours before backing his little butt down that tree.
4) He wanted to see what deer were all about. After all the stomping, I still have no idea how they missed him.
5) Some other dogs tried to get him by shredding the screen on the porch. He climbed to the top and started screaming. Woke me up and I got there just before one of the dogs made it through the screen.
6) When he was 2lbs, he thought he was bigger than a 12lb tomcat, and proceeded to protect his domain. I got there just in time...
7) I went to find him one evening to bring him in. He had JUST found a 5ft Timber Rattler. I got there just in time.
8) He contracted probably the worst tick borne disease out there for a cat. Somehow lived through that, but, not after considerable expense and 24hr round the clock care for two weeks.

Figured that was the end of his lucky streak, so, before he got to his 9th life...He's now an indoor only cat.

 

[ArtNJ]

basscat - I can relate to some of that, I've rescued a screaming cat more than once at 4 am myself. Both mine are cowards and retreat to the house and scream/howl. But I'm not sure that is a downside of being out at night. After all, if they were out during the day and I wasn't home, it would be worse.

 

[basscat]

basscat - I can relate to some of that, I've rescued a screaming cat more than once at 4 am myself. Both mine are cowards and retreat to the house and scream/howl. But I'm not sure that is a downside of being out at night. After all, if they were out during the day and I wasn't home, it would be worse.

Buddy The Brave is no coward. He's not very smart either. He's brave and stupid. Not a good combo for a long life.
So, he's now an inside cat and for the most part, seems content.
We have another one that's an outside cat any time she wants. But, she won't go more than 100ft from the house. AND, only that far if she can see us.
But, she's not brave at all, and she's very smart when it comes to her own well being.

 

[ArchyCat]

Please! The only good thing that can happen to an outdoor cat is to be rescued to be an indoor only cat.

First, there are dogs. Many of them consider cats as prey. I have retrieved two cats from the area that were attacked by dogs. One was dead. The other one had a huge gaping wound just past his rib cage. I rescued him, and after a $500.00+ vet bill, he is a very affectionate indoor only cat.

Then there are cars and malicious neighbors.

Plus there are raccoons, coyotes (which are nocturnal in my suburban area), and other cats that may attack your cat. Plus there are parasites and diseases that a cat can catch. If your cat has fleas, she probably has tape worms. See Bruce the Brave for examples.

Please keep your cats indoors all the time.

 

[JaneB]

Socks is a 6 year old spayed female cat....Since then she has been an indoor/outdoor cat, who prefers the outdoors....How do I get Socks to get used to being indoors?

I could have written much of this myself. I was adopted by an outdoor cat who has been with me for 3 years and is currently 9 years old. Over the last 6 months, I have been slowly limiting his time outdoors in hopes to make him indoor only. He is having none of it! He becomes either depressed and lethargic or angry and aggressive. He has been on his own for too long and his instincts are too strong for him to ever adjust in a healthy manner to being indoors. When I let him do his thing, he is the sweetest and most healthy adjusted cat I've met. He's respectful of his surroundings, doesn't scratch, spray, jump, bite, make noise, he's simply a dream. As he has been the dream cat for 3 years, it is easy to see how keeping him indoors makes his life absolutely miserable. He is his own dude and he didn't adopt me so I could cage him in for the rest of his life. Some cats are like this and Socks sounds like one of them. I wish you peace and as I know the constant worry of your furbaby is draining.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I will preface what I am about to say with this: I am not an advocate of indoor/outdoor cats. Most people don't let their dogs be 'indoor/outdoor' dogs, so why is it so good for cats? It isn't...

I have a neighbor who took in a 3-4 year old female/spayed cat who was used to running the neighborhood and no one knows who really owned her. But, she kind of 'adopted' my neighbor and started coming to their house every night at dark. However, at 6 years old, she started getting bullied by some other, larger cats that were allowed to roam outside - probably all day and night, I don't know. The neighbor promptly restricted her to the house. There were many times after that when she got out and had to be chased/cajoled/tricked/bribed back inside. It took a long time, but she finally gave up/lost interest/decided indoors was OK.

Go cold turkey. You will never wean her off outdoors if she is allowed outdoors at all. A lot of play time, and a lot of attention, is crucial too. Treats might not be a bad idea for a while, such as when you call her away from the door to distract her. I hope all of the info you've been given on this site helps. Let us know how you/she are progressing, if you choose to make her a full-time indoor kitty.

 

[Echy]

Socks is a 6 year old spayed female cat.

She is used to having outdoor access-we found her as a stray at 7 months and she was an outdoor cat I fed and played with for another six months (I lived with my mum, and she didn't want a cat). Since then she has been an indoor/outdoor cat, who prefers the outdoors.

I have three other cats. They are three years old and indoor only. I got them as kittens, did originally start letting them out once they were almost full grown, spayed, vaccinated and chipped, but they never really took to it and rarely were out more than 10 minutes, and eventually just stopped going out and ended up indoors.

They are happy indoor cats who don't complain, and they have plenty of toys and places to sleep...all the things a cat could want.

Socks is used to being outside though, but lately this is becoming a problem-she likes being outside too much, but if I let her out in the afternoon, she doesn't come back until after dark and hasn't been coming when called like she used to, but I don't like her being out after dark and when I am calling her for a long time I worry about disturbing the neighbours. Even if she knows that when I call her in, I feed her, she doesn't care...and then I have the indoor cats whining at me for food until she decides to return.

For the past few weeks, I have been letting her out once after breakfast, she will go do her thing for a few hours and when she comes in, she stays in, although this hasn't stopped her standing on the windowsill and meowing to be let out in the afternoon. I have been at home more for the last few weeks, but now my work hours have changed and I have not been at home to let her out in the morning (I have never allowed her out when I am not in), so this is only possible at weekends. Maybe she needs to go full cold turkey and be an indoor cat.

She is already annoyed by not having full outdoor access and very persistently meows at the window, and her other annoying habit of flinging herself at doors and flipping the handle up and down, but then running off and standing by the window or front door when the door is opened to see if she wants to come in.

How do I get Socks to get used to being indoors?

I can honestly relate to this, Verismo loves going outside, when I stopped letting him out, he got mad at me, so I only let him out in the worst weather possible, (for an example, rainy weather, 100+ degrees but nothing that would kill him.) and he was convinced that outside was hell. He doesn't even try to get out anymore. I can leave the door wide open and he'll just sit there.

It worked for me lol.

~Echy

 

[Elfilou]

Do you have a garden or patio that you can enclose? That would be a great compromise.

Adding shelves to your walls to increase the territory and offering playtime with realistic toys could also do wonders.

 

[banana queen]

Socks has not been outside since the day I posted this. She's been meowing less today. Ive distracted her with catnip when she was meowing a lot yesterday, which worked, and giving plenty of attention.

I do have a garden, and maybe one day I could cat proof it, but that isn't in the budget right now. I am looking into getting shelves for the cats to walk on, along the dining room walls (our dining room is pretty much the cat room, its their safe room for overnight and contains everything they need, as if they have full run of the house overnight they wake everyone up)

 

[FeebysOwner]

Yay! So far so good! Thanks, Banana Queen, for hanging in there - and being creative!

 

[banana queen]

I have bought a harness and leash for Socks, and am slowly accustoming her to using it. That way she is safe, but also gets to go outside and sniff things in the garden. She is currently sat on my lap contentedly, with the harness over her but not fastened. We are working up to getting it on and fastened, and then actually walking in it.

She seems to have forgotten about meowing at the window to go out, she's not been doing that as much, and hopefully wont again when she connects "put the harness on and then walk out the front door" with outside, instead of "meow at the window"

 

[rubysmama]

Here's a TCS article that might be helpful: Harness And Leash Training For Cats